Grad's mom wishes for a ceremony

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Anne McQuillin has a son graduating in accounting this month from the University of Illinois, but she won't be making the trip from Libertyville for a commencement ceremony.

Not yet anyway.

The College of Business and five other UI colleges honor their winter graduates at the spring convocation in May. Not in December.

That does not make McQuillen happy.

"I called 18 other universities, and every business school has convocation ceremonies," McQuillin said this week. "The University of Illinois is extremely expensive. They can do all these improvements, but you can't let the kids do a graduation ceremony? It's just wrong."

The College of Business had a winter convocation until 2008, but dwindling interest prompted administrators to cancel it. More than 85 percent of students eligible chose to go through graduation with their frends in May rather than at the smaller winter ceremony, said Dean Larry DeBrock. About 140 students are graduating this semester, meaning only a handful would likely show up, he said.

"There's just not enough demand from the students to do it," DeBrock said.

Larger colleges that host winter ceremonies, such as Engineering or Liberal Arts and Sciences, have several hundred students going through graduation in December, he said.